Jacob Elordi Stars in Bottega Veneta’s New Dreamy Campaign
Bottega Veneta has launched “What Are Dreams,” a captivating campaign featuring Jacob Elordi and crafted by renowned photographer and filmmaker Duane Michals. The project was shot in black and white at Michals’s home in New York, blending reality with imagination and inspired by the artist's deep interest in surrealism.
Visual and Artistic Elements
The campaign consists of twelve photographs and a short film that present Elordi in mysterious, dreamlike settings. These include scenes framed by a billowing curtain, seen through a convex mirror, or accompanied by a single suspended feather—motifs characteristic of Michals’s unique style.
"I’m very much interested in the realm of the invisible. My problem is, ‘how do I make the invisible visible?’ Of course movie making is also a dream, and Frankenstein is a scary dream. Jacob understood exactly what I was trying to do with the project. He was right there for the magic and the mystery of it." – Duane Michals
Concept and Poetic Influence
The actor recites Michals’s 2001 poem, also titled “What Are Dreams,” which inspired the campaign’s name. The poem explores “midnight movies of the mind…where things look familiar, but not at all the same.” Handwritten lines from this poem appear throughout the visual pieces, enriching the contemplative and introspective mood of the campaign.
"Midnight movies of the mind…where things look familiar, but not at all the same." – From Duane Michals’s poem What Are Dreams, 2001
Collaboration Insights
Michals, celebrated for integrating text and photography to reveal the invisible and imagined worlds, described the project as a joint quest for “magic and mystery.” The campaign captures an intimate, surreal dialogue between artist and actor that pushes the boundaries of visual storytelling.
Elordi also shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse with CR, recounting preparations for the Oscars alongside Dsquared2's Dean and Dan Caten.
Author’s summary: This campaign merges Jacob Elordi’s enigmatic presence with Duane Michals’s surreal artistry, creating a haunting, poetic exploration of dreams and the invisible.